PK Banerjee always had right words for players, says former India star Venkatesh

Current national team assistant coach Shanmugam Venkatesh on Sunday hailed the late PK Banerjee as the "first icon" of Indian football, who always had the right words for the players.

Former India captain and coach Banerjee, who represented the country 36 times with 19 goals to his name, died in a private hospital in Kolkata on Friday after a prolonged illness. He was 83.

Venkatesh, who had come through the national team ranks when Banerjee was the technical director, showered praises on the legend.

"He is an absolute legend of the game. He was technically so gifted back in his playing days. But he was also a very good motivator," Venkatesh was quoted as saying by the All India Football Federation.

"He always had the right words for the players."
"He had a gift of reading the pressure surrounding a game, and how a player is reacting to it. That made him really special."